The Memphis Police Department has engaged in a pattern of violating residents’ civil rights and discriminating against Black people, according to the Department of Justice.
According to USA Today, the Justice Department released the results of its 16-month-long pattern-or-practice investigation into the Memphis Police Department. The DOJ found the department routinely used excessive force and conducted unlawful stops, searches, and arrests. The city and MPD also “discriminate in their response to people with behavioral health disabilities,” per the DOJ’s report.
The Justice Department also has “serious concerns” about MPD’s treatment of children and deficiencies in training, supervision, and accountability that have led to unlawful conduct.
“The people of Memphis deserve a police department and city that protects their civil and constitutional rights, garners trust and keeps them safe,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement on Wednesday (December 4).
The DOJ announced its investigation into the police department in July 2023, just months after Tyre Nichols was fatally beaten by officers with the Memphis Police’s SCORPION Unit.
Investigators conducted interviews with the community and police, looked into the department’s policies, and took ride-a-longs with officers. The DOJ said it didn’t start the investigation due to Nichol’s fatal incident alone.
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